The Collected Letters, Volume 16

Your kind invitation to Craven1 is far too good to be rejected at once; nor do I so reject it; far from that. But I am in such an unutterable whirlpool of
haste, confusion, and hard work at present, I can think of nothing extraneous whatever; and must beg to postpone my answer till a freer time, which I hope will soon arrive2— That is the meaning of my writing to you tonight,—past the hour of midnight when all canny things are in bed!— Good sleep to both of us!

Yours very truly always,

T. Carlyle

There is no haste at all about the Greg Pamphlet,3 so it do come certainly at last. Take your own time with it.

1. A district of striking landscape in the western dales, W Riding, Yorks. Forster lived in Bradford, also in W Riding.

2. Forster replied, 7 July: “Relying on your note of the 23rd, from which I gather that the pleasure of a visit from you is not altogether hopeless, I write to tell you that Mr & Mrs
Charles Fox their daughter & myself purpose setting forth on a few days tour in Craven about the middle of next week. … I
do really hope you will be able to join us.” Sarah (1801–82) and Charles Fox (1797–1878; ODNB), scientific writer; Caroline Fox's uncle and currently partner in and manager of the family firm, the Perran Foundry Co.,
at Perranarworthal, Cornwall.

3. Probably one of the 1842 pamphlets on the Corn Laws or farming by Robert Hyde Greg (1795–1875; ODNB), economist and antiquary.